Meet Our Team

Our Founder 

William W.D. Allen

William "W.D" Allen

W.D is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Trulaske College of Business, as well as serving as the Coordinator of AACE. He received his PhD from MU in 2006. In former lives, he was a fixed income manager, real estate developer, small business owner, purchasing manager, fry cook, aspring musician, and a heavy equipment operator. As the coordinator of AACE, he oversees a multidisciplinary class of 15 to 20 students. He guides them through all of angel investing from prescreening to investment.

Advisors

Kate Holland

Kate is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Missouri. Her research interests are in the area of corporate finance and focus primarily on ownership, government involvement with firms and energy. AACE provides an excellent perspective for her research on university innovation. She was a power trader prior to earning her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. She has also worked at Purdue University.

Gene Gerke

Gene is Co-President of Centennial Investors Angel Investor Network (CI). Gene has had his own management consulting firm for more that 40 years. His clients have included start-up companies, high growth enterprises, substantial family-owned firms, major business trade associations, not-for-profit agencies, academic institutions, and several Fortune 100 companies. He focuses on strategic, planning, executive consultation, high growth ventures, and profit improvement.

Stephen Guthrie

Steve is an Advisor to the AACE Venture Fund, a role which is very complimentary to his current role as Co-president of Centennial Investors Angel Network. Steve recently retired from "corporate life" after 44 years as a finance/accounting professional with primarily fortune 100 companies in the financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and chemical industries. He received his undergraduate degree from Mizzou and MBA from Washington University. Steve is a licensed CPA.
 

Image: Kate Holland, Gene Gerke and Stephen Guthrie
Left to right: Kate Holland, Gene Gerke and Stephen Guthrie

Managing Directors

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Grace is a Managing Director of the AACE Venture Fund responsible for portfolio company relations and updates. She is currently a Junior pursuing a Bachelors in Finance and is graduating in May 2025. Grace has previously worked in Private Equity at a lower-middle market buyout firm and will be working in Growth Equity this next summer at Piper Sandler.

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Kyle is a Managing Director for the AACE Venture Fund responsible for sourcing deals on the Ag-Tech Team and participating in Fundraising efforts. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Accounting and graduating in May 2026. Kyle has previously completed internships as an Audit Intern at UHY and an Intern Undivided Wealth Management  and will be working as a Business Advisory Services Intern on the M&A team with RubinBrown this summer.

Image: Becca May standing in front of tree

Becca is a second-year M.S. student in geology at the University of Missouri and a Managing Director for the AACE Venture Fund. She specializes in geochemical modeling of hydrothermal rare earth element ore deposits and the hydrogeological processes that created them. Becca has also completed internships at Barr Engineering, the Energy and Environmental Research Center, and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.

 

Snyder Yuriy

Yuriy Snyder is currently a bioengineering Ph.D. student at the University of Missouri-Columbia researching and developing cardiovascular medical devices through tissue engineering. Yuriy was born in Ukraine but lived most of his life in Big Island, Virginia. During his undergraduate career, he obtained bachelor’s degrees in physics and chemistry and developed computational models and mechanisms for producing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly industrial compounds. While at Randolph College, he was also a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, Judiciary Committee, IT advisory board, and was the director of the Winfree Observatory. While in graduate school, he has served as a Managing Director for the AACE Venture Fund for two semesters and as the primary biomedical consultant for all the Fund’s potential healthcare-related investments. Also, He has interned at Abbott Laboratories and Preferred Imaging. 

Analysts

Izzy is an Investment Analyst in the AACE Venture Fund. As a third-year law student, Izzy focuses on legal analysis regarding general corporate matters. Izzy is graduating from Mizzou Law in May 2023 and will be working as an Associate at Polsinelli.

Kiley is an Investment Analyst at AACE Venture Fund, and as a junior marketing student, she designs promotional materials for AACE, writes content for Redbud VC, and plans events at Vermeer Midwest. This summer, she'll be part of Equipment Share's marketing team, and she aims to launch her own business in the fall.

Collin Hickey is an Analyst in the AACE Venture Fund. He is currently a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor's in Finance and is set to graduate in May 2026. Collin will be working in Private Equity this summer at WILsquare Capital in St. Louis.

Will is an Investment Analyst in the AACE Venture Fund. He is currently a sophomore pursuing a Bachelors in Finance and will graduate in May of 2026. This summer, Will will be serving as an intern in Washington D.C. for Congressman Sam Graves of the 6th District of Missouri.

Hayden is an Analyst for the AACE Venture Fund on the Consumer and Portfolio Company Relations teams. He is currently a sophomore pursuing degrees in Finance & Banking and Economics. Hayden has previously completed an internship with National Beef Packing Company and ran his own 6-figure business. This upcoming summer he will be interning at Edward Jones in their Wealth Management division.

Billy is an Investment Analyst on the AACE Fund responsible for deal sourcing on the Technology team. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Accounting and will graduate in May 2026. This summer, Billy will be joining The DVS Group in Kansas City as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst.

Chase is an Investment Analyst in the AACE Venture Fund responsible for alumni relations. He is currently a sophomore pursuing bachelor's degrees in both Finance and Economics graduating in May 2026. Chase is exploring careers in Investment Banking and Private Equity as he plans to dive into the industry.

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Joe Miles is an Analyst of the AACE Venture Fund responsible for Deal Sourcing and Marketing. He is currently a sophomore pursuing a Masters in Accounting and is graduating in December 2025. Joe has worked in banking roles in the past and is looking to start a career in Investment Banking. This summer he will be working as a Summer Analyst Compass Equity in St. Louis.

Michael is an Investment Analyst in the AACE Venture Fund. As a third-year law student Michael focuses on legal analysis of intellectual property. Michael is graduating from Mizzou Law in May 2024 and will be working as an Associate at Polsinelli in Kansas City.

Kenny is an Investment Analyst in his second semester with AACE. He is currently a Junior pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering. This summer he will be working as a Sales Representative for PitchBook Data in Seattle. 

Jack is the Technology Deal Flow Lead in the AACE Venture Fund. He is a Junior currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science with minors in Business and Mathematics. This is Jack's second semester in the fund and is pursuing a Sales and Trading role this summer.

Amelia Schneider is a Junior at the Trulaske College of Business, pursuing a dual degree in Finance and Economics and minoring in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. She currently serves as an Analyst on the healthcare team in the AACE Venture Fund. This summer, Amelia Schneider will work at Armanino LLP in a CFO advisory position on the valuation team. After Amelia's graduation in December 2024, she plans to work at a startup through Venture For America.

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EMAIL US

Have Questions?

Please feel free to reach out to the AACE Venture Fund by email at aaceventurefund@missouri.edu.